I’ve got to applaud the Albuquerque Journal, and a lot of local newspapers, that picked up Ken Dilanian’s article about the weaknesses in our national cyber-infrastructure. It starts out ominously enough:
When a large Southern California water system wanted to probe the vulnerabilities of its computer networks, it hired Los Angeles-based hacker Marc Maiffret to test them. His team seized control of the equipment that added chemical treatments to drinking water — in one day.
The weak link: County employees had been logging into the network through their home computers, leaving a gaping security hole. Officials of the urban water system told Maiffret that with a few mouse clicks, he could have rendered the water undrinkable for millions of homes.
While the Journal requires subscription to access most of its content, you can find a copy at http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/29/1783558/cyberattacks-have-deadly-potential.html.
The Executive Summary:
“There’s always a way in” to private and government systems. While the Feds are scrambling to tighten up, big industry isn’t, nor is small business. The potential for calamity is huge, the awareness only slowly dawning. The Feds have the US Cyber Command. What do the rest of you have?
My Take:
I smell blood in the water. There is going to be a whole lot of work in this field.